Linden finished its season at 12-2. The Patriots' other loss was to Sweet Water (21-12) on Sept. 17.

In the first quarter, Linden faced fourth-and-six from the Sweet Water 41. The center snap sailed over the head of punter Randy Jackson, who managed to retrieve the ball. Jackson tried to get off a punt, but the attempt was blocked by Desmond Bouler.

Terrence Sewell picked up the ball and made a return of 23 yards to the Linden 8. Three plays later, Michael Thompson scored on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds left in the quarter. Taylor Wilson kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

In the third quarter, the Patriots faced fourth-and-six from their 21. Jackson lined up to punt, but he threw a pass that fell incomplete, and the Bulldogs took possession. Three plays later, Brett Davis threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ty Morgan, and the Bulldogs had a 13-0 lead.

“We didn't need that in this game,” said Linden coach Andro Williams, a former defensive coordinator at Sweet Water. “Critical mistakes within our special teams, that'll get you in a game like this. You can't make those kind of mistakes. We put ourselves in a bad predicament, and they cashed in on both situations on the punts we didn't get off. You've got to play mistake free football and finish the ballgame.”

On its next possession, Linden overcame a third-and-10 situation from its 20 as the Bulldogs were penalized 15 yards for pass interference. Senior running back Kendarius Fritts carried six times for 28 yards. After a false-start penalty against the Patriots, Fritts broke free for a 38-yard gain to the 4. Quarterback Anthony Robinson swept left end for the touchdown to cut Sweet Water's lead to 13-6 with 1:57 left in the third quarter.

In his last game for Linden, Fritts gained 132 yards on 18 carries.

“We just had to do what we do,” Williams said of the touchdown drive. “You've got to play a complete game. I thought we had some opportunities in the first half to get ourselves in the ballgame and do what we had to do.

“I'm just proud of our kids for getting us to this point.”

Sweet Water's last touchdown drive started at its 26. The Bulldogs took possession after stopping Fritts a yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-two play. Deon Waters started the drive with a 38-yard run, and the Bulldogs got 15 more yards on a personal-foul penalty. Chris Landrum capped the march with a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:01 left.

“We preached special teams all week long,” said Sweet Water coach Stacy Luker. “We thought we could win that battle. We matched up physically nowhere on the field with them, athletically or physically, but we knew we had to win some battles up front and win some special-teams battles, and that's what we did.

“The character and resiliency of our football team is unbelievable. It's been a hard ride to this point. I'm proud of these guys.

<p>LINDEN | Two mistakes in the kicking game proved costly for the Linden Patriots, who fell to neighboring rival Sweet Water 20-6 on Friday in the Class 1A semifinals.</p><p>Sweet Water advances to the championship game, scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at Auburn University's Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Bulldogs (11-3) will face R.A. Hubbard, which eliminated Parrish.</p><p>Linden finished its season at 12-2. The Patriots' other loss was to Sweet Water (21-12) on Sept. 17.</p><p>In the first quarter, Linden faced fourth-and-six from the Sweet Water 41. The center snap sailed over the head of punter Randy Jackson, who managed to retrieve the ball. Jackson tried to get off a punt, but the attempt was blocked by Desmond Bouler. </p><p>Terrence Sewell picked up the ball and made a return of 23 yards to the Linden 8. Three plays later, Michael Thompson scored on a 2-yard run with 18 seconds left in the quarter. Taylor Wilson kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.</p><p>In the third quarter, the Patriots faced fourth-and-six from their 21. Jackson lined up to punt, but he threw a pass that fell incomplete, and the Bulldogs took possession. Three plays later, Brett Davis threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ty Morgan, and the Bulldogs had a 13-0 lead. </p><p>“We didn't need that in this game,” said Linden coach Andro Williams, a former defensive coordinator at Sweet Water. “Critical mistakes within our special teams, that'll get you in a game like this. You can't make those kind of mistakes. We put ourselves in a bad predicament, and they cashed in on both situations on the punts we didn't get off. You've got to play mistake free football and finish the ballgame.”</p><p>On its next possession, Linden overcame a third-and-10 situation from its 20 as the Bulldogs were penalized 15 yards for pass interference. Senior running back Kendarius Fritts carried six times for 28 yards. After a false-start penalty against the Patriots, Fritts broke free for a 38-yard gain to the 4. Quarterback Anthony Robinson swept left end for the touchdown to cut Sweet Water's lead to 13-6 with 1:57 left in the third quarter. </p><p>In his last game for Linden, Fritts gained 132 yards on 18 carries.</p><p>“We just had to do what we do,” Williams said of the touchdown drive. “You've got to play a complete game. I thought we had some opportunities in the first half to get ourselves in the ballgame and do what we had to do.</p><p>“I'm just proud of our kids for getting us to this point.”</p><p>Sweet Water's last touchdown drive started at its 26. The Bulldogs took possession after stopping Fritts a yard short of a first down on a fourth-and-two play. Deon Waters started the drive with a 38-yard run, and the Bulldogs got 15 more yards on a personal-foul penalty. Chris Landrum capped the march with a 1-yard touchdown run with 8:01 left.</p><p>“We preached special teams all week long,” said Sweet Water coach Stacy Luker. “We thought we could win that battle. We matched up physically nowhere on the field with them, athletically or physically, but we knew we had to win some battles up front and win some special-teams battles, and that's what we did.</p><p>“The character and resiliency of our football team is unbelievable. It's been a hard ride to this point. I'm proud of these guys.</p><p>Sweet Water rushed for 262 yards on 48 attempts. Sewell had 74 yards on 10 carries. Thompson gained 63 yards on 21 attempts, and Waters had 60 yards on nine carries.</p><p>Reach Andrew Carroll at andrew.carroll@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0223.</p>